Crossword Genius

Everything that is starting to shock friends (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

allies

'friends' is the definition.
('ally' can be a synonym of 'friend')

'everything that is starting to shock' is the wordplay.
'everything' becomes 'all' (all things).
'that is' becomes 'ie' (short for Latin 'id est', 'that is').
'starting to' says to take the initial letters.
The initial letter of 'shock' is 's'.
'all'+'ie'+'s'='ALLIES'

(Other definitions for allies that I've seen before include "People or nations joined against an enemy" , "Nations joining together to fight a common enemy" , "They are banded together for mutual support" , "Friends who band together" , "Joins forces" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app